Det Botha was forced to admit he had no evidence to challenge the Paralympian’s claim he accidentally killed his girlfriend

Humiliated Detective Hilton Botha was axed amid accusations he opened fire on a taxi packed with people.

It is claimed Det Botha and two other officers shot at a minibus taxi loaded with seven passengers while chasing a murder suspect in 2011.

He was brought back into court yesterday and forced to admit a series of gaffes that threaten to wreck the prosecution’s claim that Paralympic star Pistorius murdered his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.

The 26-year-old Blade Runner listened carefully as Det Botha revealed he did not wear protective clothing at the crime scene and lost track of ammo found inside the athlete’s house.

He also backtracked after telling the court a witness had heard “non-stop” arguing at Pistorius’s home on the night 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp was shot.

After claiming the witness was 600m away, he then changed his answer to 300m.

The defence argued that screaming was Pistorius calling for help from his balcony.

And Det Botha was forced to admit he had no evidence to challenge the Paralympian’s claim he accidentally killed his girlfriend, believing she was an intruder.

Det Botha was removed from the case as Nike confirmed it had dumped the athlete from its adverts.

But in a statement, the company said: “We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Det Botha is due to appear in court himself in May.

He has been replaced by Lieutenant Vinesh Moonoo, who vowed to gather “a team of highly skilled and experienced detectives”.

Pistorius will find out today if he has been granted bail after being charged with Reeva’s killing.

Pistorius denies murder. If he is refused bail, he faces months in one of South Africa’s brutal jails before his full trial begins.